brown, and she looked amazing. good thursday morning. right now on "first look," defense secretary panetta says it's time to lift a ban on women in combat. not everyone is happy about. that hillary clinton saves congressional fire over the benghazi attacks. the frozen tundra outside your door looks like america's credit card won't get rejected afterall. and don't bet against a train. good morning. another military milestone today. the secretary of defense is expected to announce by unanimous recommendation of the joint chiefs of staff that he's lifting the ban that prevents female soldiers and marines from serving on the front lines in combat. nbc's tracie potts is live in

washington with more. good morning. >> reporter: this is a big deal. it's a ban that's been in place for nearly 20 years. after first rolling back the ban on gays in the military, now coming today this new announcement about new opportunities in the military for women. the formal announcement is expected today outgoing defense secretary leon panetta will end the 19-year-old ban on women serving in combat. >> for those who have what it takes, it's a chance for them to have equal treatment. >> reporter: the move can open up 237,000 jobs. women on the front lines in close quarters for months at a time? not everyone thinks it's a good idea. >> the extended endurance that is needed, as i say, we have enough problems with sometimes with men. >> reporter: last month the aclu sued in federal court, plaintiffs argue keeping women in the background is bad military strategy. >> it creates a dangerous set of rules that make it difficult for

commanders in decide best way to fight. >> reporter: supporters argue that women are already in combat. 150 have died and 1,000 wounded in iraq and afghanistan. congresswoman tammy duckworth lost both legs. >> the reality in the ground in a 360 battlefield is women have been serving in afghanistan in iraq. i did lose my legs in a fight. it's a big step for the 200,000 women now serving, but some jobs like navy seals and army rangers would remain closed. now this will not happen right away. military leaders have until mid-may to submit recommendations about how to implement it or any questions or concerns. they have until 2016 to actually make it happen. >> tracie potts in washington, thanks so much. on capitol hill wednesday, secretary of state hillary clinton testified in back to back senate and house committee hearings. republicans in congress grilled clinton about the september 11th terrorist attack on the u.s. mission in benghazi, libya, that

killed four americans. danielle leigh has more on the often fiery hearings. >> reporter: secretary of state hillary clinton played defense twice as republicans blamed her for failing to lead. >> i would have relieved you of your post. i think it's inexcusable. >> reporter: she testified in heated house and senate committee hearings on the terrorist attack in lib yachlt. >> with all these warnings, we didn't have a single department of defense asset apparently available to come to these rescue. >> reporter: from questions about a lack of security to accusations the administration deceived the public, republicans came on strong. >> we were misled that there were protested and then something sprang out of that. >> reporter: clinton stood her ground trying to explain why susan rice said at tack was related to a controversial video. >> we have four dead americans. was it because of a protestor was it because of guys out for a walk one night and decided they would go kill some americans?

what difference at this point does it make? it is our job to figure out what happened and do everything we can to prevent it from ever happening again. >> reporter: republican lawmakers found little satisfaction in her answers. >> there was a lot of evidence -- that led up to the security. you mention transparency. you haven't provided the call logs. >> reporter: clinton says the department is making more than two dozen changes to address security and leadership and adequacy found in an independent report. she described the situation in benghazi as complicated and said some questions about the attacks still remain unanswered. in washington, danielle leigh, nbc news. there will be another important hearing on capitol hill later today. democratic senator john kerry will face his peers when he's presented by secretary of state hillary clinton to succeed her at the state department. during the confirmation hearings, kerry is expected to face questions about the crisis in syria and military service in vietnam. the senator worth an estimated $184 million has also promised

to di did vest his holdings in companies that could present a conflict of interest. the house passed legislation that would prevent the government from defaulting on its debt. the bill is a quick fix that avoids an economic showdown with the white house. it eliminates the nation's borrowing limit until may without the dollar for dollar spending cuts republicans have insisted on. the senate is expected to approve the bill as early as tomorrow. meanwhile, "the new york times" reports senate leaders from both sides of the aisle are nearing an agreement on new limits to the filibuster. the tactic that forces the majority party to gather 60 votes just to bring a bill to the floor. an announcement on the new rules is expected today. vice president joe biden will team up with google today for a chat about gun control. he'll answer questions for 30 minutes on the new white house policy recommendations to reduce gun violence. the administration planned numerous chats like this one during the second term. today's fireside hangout starts

at 1:45 p.m. eastern time. and the name is a 21st century update of president franklin roosevelt's famous fireside chats on the radio. and now here's your first look at this morning's dish of "scrambled politics." president obama's 23 executive orders on gun control are still being attacked by conservative lawmakers in washington. republican congressman steve stockman of texas has introduced a bill to outlaw the orders as unconstitutional. previously, he threatened to file impeachment proceedings against the president because of the executive orders. beyonce singing the national anthem sparked a lot of reaction over lip syncing. the performance was praised bay reeja franklin who said she did a beautiful job. and aretha who sang at the 2009 inauguration in that hat said she even might prerecord in the future. clint east wad's performance at the republican national convention when he talked to an empty chair, that was a big attention getter. now come word that chair he used

is on display in the chair of the rnc chair in the office of the rnc chair. john boehner gave a talk to the republican think-tank on tuesday about the inauguration. he said obama wants to annihilate the republican party and boehner joked about having to calm down legendary college football coach lou holtz. >> about 9:30 i get this text, the country is overwith. we're not doing this again. i already had this conversation with lou about nine or ten days after the election. he came in to speak to our 34 new members. and before he went over to talk to them, he came to my office. he is moaning and groaning. i said, lou, would you stop? we're americans. we'll figure this out. and i just spent 15 minutes giving lou holtz a pep talk. >> and that's your morning dish of "scrambled politics." and now for a look at the national weather, here is bill karins with the forecast. it's cold, right?

>> lou holtz isn't happy all that's come out either. here's what we're dealing with out there this morning. snow has made its presence in the washington, d.c. area. we haven't had a lot over this winter period, especially think morning from washington, d.c., southward driving through virginia to fredericksburg, also into areas of southern maryland. we picked up between a dusting to two inches, just enough to make it slippery. so keep that in mind traveling anywhere near. it looks like it will last another hour or two. it looks like a little snow towards hamptons area and virginia beach. yesterday obviously the cold was the big, huge story. the coldest spot out there, burlington, vermont, had a high temperature of 1 degree yesterday. what is interesting, the lakes are not frozen in northern new england. so we had these amazing pictures, this video coming from wcax-tv. this is lake champlain. huge lakes in northern portions of vermont. this is what we call steam fog. the cold air going over the

relatively warm water. what are we dealing with this morning? once again, extremely cold. temperatures in the negative numbers. almost all of new england. we're at minus 34 in international falls. wind chills are brutal from chicago to detroit. this is going to continue for another couple days. what's going to happen next is this next storm on the way is going it run into the cold air and looks like snow for a lot of areas. not today. but as we go into friday, i'll have details on that coming up. >> all right. thanks much so, bill. straight ahead, north korea warns that a new test will be coming soon. a horrific crash in russia. a toddler is thrown from the vehicle. plus, the most valuable nba franchises in the country. "first look" is back in three minutes. [ fishing rod casting line, marching band playing ]

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welcome back. here are other stories making news. north korea is threatening to carry out more rocket lounch r launches and a nuclear test that would target the u.s. for what it calls continuing hostility. this after the u.n. security council condemned pyongyang's december rocket launch and

expanded sanctions against the regime. the search is on for three canadian men mising in antarctica after their small plane disappeared. a transmitter was activated in a mountainous area. a former forth grade teacher has been arrested and charged with sexually abusing 19 students and adult co-worker between september 2011 and march 2012. 57-year-old robert pimental is being held on bail. in an interview at a british air base, prince harry defended himself over remarks he made earlier this week about killing taliban fighters during his military tour in afghanistan. >> he also do things you expect to do wearing this uniform. it's as simple as that. and disturbing video from russia. a dash cam captured a toddler being thrown from a car during a horrific crash. fortunately, an on coming truck missed the girl who police say was not strapped into a car seat. the apple impact felt around

the world. a profit of over $13 billion and enviable growth of sales of iphones and ipads wasn't enough to impress investors who expect perfection. union power falling. only 11.3% of the u.s. workforce belongs to a union. that is the lowest percentage in 76 years. ford calculated the most valuable nba franchises in the league. the new york knicks are number one at $1.1 billion, the second, los angeles lakers at $1 billion followed by the bulls, celtics, mavericks, all rounding out the top five. the ntsb is looking into issues involved with whistle blowers. about six years ago questions were raised about a company that makes the chargers for the questionable lithium batteries. tardiness problem? according to the business insider yahoo ceo has a habit of keeping executives waiting for minutes or hours or more for her meetings. and speaking from the world

economic forum in davos, switzerland, jp morgan ceo damy die monday says he believes if washington could only reach a grand bargain to fix the fiscal problems, then the u.s. can have a booming environment and the economy could take off. finally, before she was the princess of wales, this previously unseen foet yoef a teenage diana pictured with adam russell, son of a former british prime minister is being auctioned off. written on the picture, not to be published. your sports headlines including major college basketball upset and a fine for one of the nfl's most elite players. plus, some takerible timing for one truck driver trying to beat a train. take a look at what happens when you fight a fire in near zero temperatures. ♪ [ male announcer ] how do you turn an entrepreneur's dream... ♪ into a scooter that talks to the cloud? ♪ or turn 30-million artifacts...

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your throat or tongue swells, you get hives, vision changes or eye pain, or problems passing urine. other side effects include dry mouth and constipation. nothing can reverse copd. spiriva helps me breathe better. (blowing sound) ask your doctor about spiriva. turning back now to one of our top stories this morning. senate confirmation hearings for secretary of state nominee john kerry. joining me now is the "washington post" jonathan capehart. what can we expect from kerry? can we expect him to face any tough questions about security at u.s. embassies or service in vietn vietnam? >> i think he'll face a series of questions from the middle east to syria in particular but because he's a member of one of the world's most exclusive clubs, the u.s. senate, i expect there to be many signs of a love

fest. >> and in terms of the senate seat that he's vacating, do we have any indications about what is going to happen to that? >> the moment kerry resigns the senate seat, massachusetts governor duval patrick will appoint someone to fill the vacancy until a special election were held between 145 and 160 days. we know that former congressman barney frank said he'd like to be appointed to the seat. and congressman ed marky of massachusetts has made it clear he will actually run in the special election. >> and if confirmed, kerry will be replacing hillary clinton. how you would grade her tenure? >> i think secretary clinton's tenure has been remarkably successful. because of her star power as a former first lady, former senator from new york and former presidential candidate, she was able to help president obama repair the nation's battered reputation around the world. i don't think we'll see a secretary of state of her caliber for a very long time. >> that's quite an assessment. thank you for get up with us

this morning. >> thank you. turning now to our first look at some of the other stories going on around america. we begin with an amazing explosion of metal and debris in vermont. a store surveillance video camera captured a freight train barrelling through a tractor-trailer at a rail crossing. the truck driver was distracted and failed to notice the plane. now to the windy city of chicago. freezing conditions have frozen the remains of a torched warehouse. about 200 firefighters braved bitter cold and raging flames before dousing the fire. officials say the ice encrusted structure will have to be demolished. anarctic blast packing wind and snow ripped the roof of michigan's pontiac silver dome. the weather conditions shredded the inflatable covering reducing the structure to a battered shell. they plan to install a hard roof later this year. finally, a naked burglar produced a bizarre chain of events inside a florida home. >> i don't know who the hell he is.

he is naked. he ran in my house. >> the homeowners held him at gun point until police got there. in sports, a huge upset in college basketball. number one duke was blown out by 25th ranked miami. the hurricanes put on the show routing the blew devils 90-63. it was the third worst point loss ever for a number one ranked team. now to the nba. a tie game in the closing secretari seconds and they hustle to keep the ball inbounds. the pistons missed their last chance shots and chicago hangs on to beat detroit 85-82. in the nfl, patriots quarterback tom brady has been fined $10,000 for this kick at ravens safety ed reed during the afc championship game. the league says it was unnecessary roughness. the family of junior seau is suing the nfl saying the former linebacker's suicide is the result of brain disease caused by violent hits he sustained while playing football. he died at the age of 43 from a

self inflicted gunshot wound in may. tennis action at the australian open and china's lee na knocked off maria sharapova. she'll face victoria azarenka who beat sloan stevens. and chelsea eden hazard was kicked out of the game when he kicked a ball boy in the ribs because he was refusing to return the ball and lying on top of it. the match ended in a scoreless tie. and now for another look at the weather, here's nbc meteorologist bill karins. welcome back. >> we have a little snow coming. >> more good news from you. >> just a little bit. not a big snow vent. a lot of people have been talking about it. if it's cold, i say may as well let it snow, right? here's the storm. it's going to come down out of montana as we go throughout the day. light snow comes later tonight towards this evening in minnesota and wisconsin. it's two storms. two weak storms. one to the south, too. it's going to bring rain to

alabama and mississippi. then by the time we get to friday, we'll see some light snow break out, indianapolis to cleveland, west virginia during the day on friday. traveling through west virginia and the mountainous areas of the appalachians will be difficult, especially interstate 81. then as we go through the day friday, some snow begins to move towards washington, d.c., a little possibly philadelphia, a little new york city friday night and saturday morning. but again, most areas it's one to two inches and that's it including areas from indianapolis all the way through d.c. and down there in virginia. so, again, not a blockbuster snow vent. a lot of us will have to drive in some snow on friday afternoon and evening. >> all right. thanks so much, bill. just ahead, as the super bowl approaches, we'll introduce you to a different hairy yet affordable starting lineup. plus, the classic cult movie favorite "the princess bride" collided head on with flight attendants during a safety concern.

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global warming is a total hoax. i'll tell you how i know. because it's cold today where i live. that's science. that's just science. >> well, who wouldn't want to start their day with pictures of adorable puppies? the team photos for the 2013 puppy bowl have been released and the canines look like they're ready to roll. the big game goes down during that other big game on sunday february 3rd. lindsay lohan's film "the canyons" is rejected by yet another film festival. shocker. an ugliness -- this is a quote,

ugliness and deadness to it. kate middle ton's portrait artist is lashing out saying criticism he received was extremely personal and hurtful. >> is she smiling? >> i think it's a lovely photo. the portrait doesn't photograph well. >> she's a lot prettier than that. >> the voice of charlie brown was arrested near the mexican border on charges of stalking and threatening an exgirlfriend. and finally, remember this famous line? >> you killed my father. prepare to die! >> some passengers on a new zealand bound flight didn't recall that line and they became fright ened when a man wearing that t-shirt boarded the plane, yeah, prepare to die. not a good thing to wear on the plane. the man found the situation a bit comical. this is "first look" on msnbc. stay tuned. "way too early" starts right now.

madam secretary, let me welcome you and thank you for honoring your commitment. >> you have represented our country with tremendous strength and poise. >> i want to echo the praise from my colleagues for your extraordinary service. >> i want to start by just thanking you for your remarkable leadership. >> it's great to see you here in good health. i'm so appreciative of your service. >> can't think of a person that exemplifies that balance in a public service career as well as you do. >> i salute you and i head to 2016. >> madam secretary, first, let me thank you for your service. and i wish you the best in your future endeavors,